As medal hopeful Li Sijia was knocked out, Li Yang quit, and
other four Chinese boxers ousted, Zhang Zhilei became the only
boxer of the hosts cruised into the semifinals of the Beijing
international boxing tournament on Monday.
Zhang, dubbed as "iron fist prince" in China, took control early
in the bout in over 91kg and landed powerful shots to score 8-3,
7-3, 4-2 and 9-1 to secure the win.
However, Zhang was not satisfied with his performance.
"I just finished the Chicago World Championships and had some
problems in physical strength. I was tired today and didn't play
well," said Zhang, who pins hopes to win a medal at next year's Beijing Olympic Games.
Zhang took a bronze medal in the +91kg category of the 2007
Boxing World Championships which concluded early this month and
secured a berth for host China in the boxing competition of the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
In the day's previous bouts, Li Sijia was knocked out after
losing 18-15 to Mbira Owethu of South Africa in the 60kg
quarterfinals.
Li controlled the match from the very beginning to lead 7-4 in
the first two rounds with a serious of ferocious punching
companying his dazzling steps.
However, the 19-year old Chinese lost his power in the third
round.
"I felt really tired from the third round. He was so powerful
that I could not even raise my head," said Li.
Mbira Owethu did not let the chance slip away and squeezed Li to
the corner, punching Li's head to gain enough points to seal the
win.
"It is the first time for me to compete in the international
arena. The experience of participating in the event gave me some
confidence for future matches," said Li, who blamed lacking of
experience for his lose.
Early on, Li's teammate Li Jinbao was eliminated by Avila
Braulio of Mexico 17-7 in the 51kg quarterfinals and Li Yang quit
the tournament due to injury.
Li Jinbao refused to comment on his performance after the match,
while Avila expressed his satisfaction about the result.
"I did not know the Chinese boxer, and this is the first time we
met in the international tournament. He did well in the beginning,
but I controlled the game in all," said Avila, who already set his
eyes on the gold medal.
"I think I have the ability to take the gold, hopefully I could
do better in the semifinals and paved the way for the gold," added
Avila.
Three other Chinese boxer Zhang Shuai and Wang Leilei in 91kg,
Jiao Xiao in over 91kg were all knocked out, while 12 boxers from
three boxing superpowers Russia, United States and Kazakhstan
cruised into the semi-finals on Wednesday.
The Beijing international boxing tournament is held at Worker's
Indoor Arena on Nov. 17-22, as one of a series of test events for
the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
More than 70 boxers from 17 countries and regions are
participating in the tournament.
(Xinhua News Agency November 20, 2007)